SelectOFALLON Business Spotlight: Cody Pierce – Hawks Ridge Chick-fil-A

O’Fallon is again showing why it’s one of this region’s top cities for attracting today’s most popular brands. Case in point: Chick-fil-A with one busy location along Highway K and now a second location on Old Highway N (Hawks Ridge) that opened this month. This makes O’Fallon the only city in the St. Louis metro area with two of America’s favorite restaurant. 

As the first owner and operator of the Hawks Ridge location, Cody Pierce is used to being the “new kid on the block.” Cody recently completed Chick-fil-A’s Leadership Development Program and spent time in 16 different cities as part of his Operator training. He appreciates the challenges that can come from unfamiliar places, he turned them into opportunities that led him and his family to find a home in O’Fallon.

What surprised Cody and his family when they finally settled into a permanent home was the welcome and outpouring of support they received in O’Fallon. The community offered an affordable and relaxed lifestyle with easy access to work. This provided Cody the ability to get his family settled while taking on the challenge of launching a new Chick-fil-A restaurant from the ground up. 

Cody’s training and multi-city experience led him to seek out the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries where he first met the SelectOFALLON team. These key connections have proven invaluable. “O’Fallon has been amazing to work with — from the city’s help with navigating the building permit process to finding new Team Members,” says Cody. “I feel very supported here,” he says. 

Cody has also seen firsthand how O’Fallon is booming. “There is so much development in the area and lots of new construction,” he says. “The population growth here is very impressive.” Cody has some good advice for anyone wanting to start a business in this fast-growing community. “SelectOFALLON has already built the platform for welcoming businesses here,” he explains. “To be able to tap into that platform is very beneficial.” 

All the more reason for why Cody and his family have quickly grown to love living in O’Fallon. “My kids already think of this as home,” he says. “It’s a great place to work, live and raise a family. We are close to incredible parks and excellent schools. It feels like a community that we can really plug into.”